WO2018168418A1

WO2018168418A1 - Display device, display method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2018168418A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/007001
Authority: WO
Inventors: 圭介岩脇
Original assignee: パイオニア株式会社
Priority date: 2017-03-14
Filing date: 2018-02-26
Publication date: 2018-09-20
Also published as: JPWO2018168418A1

Abstract

A display device includes a display unit that presents a virtual image at at least one position of a plurality of positions having mutually different depths in a scene, and an object position acquisition unit for acquiring the position of an object in the scene. The display device stops presenting one of the virtual images when the position of the object acquired by the object position acquisition unit overlaps the virtual image currently presented and is closer than the virtual image, or presents the virtual image in a manner that alleviates an observer's discomfort.

Description

Display device, display method, and program

The present invention relates to a display device, a display method, and a program.

In recent years, guidance display using AR (Augmented Reality) display that superimposes a virtual image on the scenery in front has been performed on a moving body such as an automobile. For example, in such guidance display, a virtual image representing guidance such as a store, turning left or right, and alerting about the presence of a passerby is displayed near the target object of guidance or alerting. As a display system for such guidance display, a display system has been proposed in which an object in front of the vehicle is detected and the virtual image is displayed so as to always overlap the object by moving the virtual image according to the movement of the vehicle ( For example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2016-185768 A

In the above-described prior art, when the position of an obstacle such as a forward vehicle overlaps the display position of the virtual image, it appears to the driver that the virtual image is embedded in the obstacle. Therefore, since the information can be seen at the position of the eyelid where nothing can be seen, the problem that the driver feels uncomfortable is an example of the problem.

In addition, since the focus of the eyes is adjusted to the position by gazing at the virtual image, it may be difficult to grasp the position of the rear part of the vehicle in front of the virtual image, and the virtual image indicating warning etc. reduces the effectiveness for assisting safe driving The problem of making it an example is an example of a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device capable of performing virtual image display with reduced discomfort even when an obstacle exists in the landscape. To do.

The invention according to claim 1 is a display device, wherein a display unit that displays a virtual image at at least one of a plurality of positions having different depths in a landscape, and a position of an object in the landscape are acquired. An object position acquisition unit, and the display unit overlaps one virtual image currently displayed by the object position acquired by the object position acquisition unit and is positioned in front of the one virtual image. The display of the virtual image of 1 is stopped.

The invention according to claim 5 is a display method executed by a display device capable of displaying a virtual image, the display step displaying a virtual image at at least one position among a plurality of positions having different depths in a landscape, An object position acquisition step for acquiring the position of the object in the landscape, and the position of the object acquired in the object position acquisition step overlaps with the currently displayed one virtual image and is positioned in front of the one virtual image. And a stop step of stopping the display of the first virtual image.

The invention according to claim 6 is a program, a display step for displaying a virtual image at at least one position among a plurality of positions having different depths in a landscape on a computer having a display device capable of displaying a virtual image. An object position acquisition step for acquiring the position of an object in the landscape, and the position of the object acquired in the object position acquisition step overlaps one virtual image currently displayed and is positioned in front of the one virtual image. In this case, a stop step of stopping the display of the virtual image is executed.

The invention according to claim 7 is a display device, wherein the display unit displays a virtual image at at least one position among a plurality of positions having different depths in the landscape, and acquires the position of the object in the landscape. An object position acquisition unit, and the display unit, when the position of the object acquired by the object position acquisition unit overlaps a part of one virtual image currently displayed in the depth direction in the landscape, A portion of the virtual image of one that is located behind the surface of the object is displayed in a display mode that is less conspicuous than a portion that is positioned in front of the surface of the object, or of the virtual image of the one than the surface of the object The display of the part located in the back is stopped.

The invention according to claim 8 is a display method executed by a display device capable of displaying a virtual image, wherein the display step displays the virtual image at at least one of a plurality of positions having different depths in the landscape, An object position acquisition step for acquiring the position of an object in the landscape, and a case where the position of the object acquired in the object position acquisition step overlaps a part of one currently displayed virtual image in the depth direction in the landscape. The part of the virtual image of the one that is located behind the surface of the object is displayed in a display mode that is less conspicuous than the part of the virtual image that is located in front of the surface of the object, or the surface of the object of the virtual image of the one And a display changing step for stopping the display of the portion located further back.

The invention according to claim 9 is a program, a display step of displaying a virtual image at at least one position among a plurality of positions having different depths in a landscape on a computer having a display device capable of displaying a virtual image. An object position acquisition step for acquiring the position of an object in the landscape, and a position of the object acquired in the object position acquisition step overlaps a part of one virtual image currently displayed in the depth direction in the landscape. The portion of the one virtual image that is located behind the surface of the object is displayed in a display mode that is less conspicuous than the portion that is located in front of the surface of the object. And a display changing step of stopping display of a portion located deeper than the front surface.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the display apparatus of a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the routine of the display position determination process of a virtual image. It is a flowchart which shows the routine of the display position determination process of a virtual image. It is a figure which shows the example of the display position of the virtual image before changing a display position. It is a figure which shows the example of the display position of the virtual image after changing a display position. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a virtual image display processing routine according to the second embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display position of a virtual image in Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a display device according to a modification example of Example 2. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display position of a virtual image in a modification example of Example 2. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, substantially the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1A is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the display device 10 of this embodiment. The display device 10 is a display device that displays a virtual image superimposed on a landscape. In the present embodiment, the display device 10 is configured as a head-up display mounted on a moving body such as a vehicle. In the following description, a vehicle equipped with the display device 10 is referred to as “own vehicle”.

In this embodiment, the display area of the virtual image that the display device 10 displays in the scenery in front of the host vehicle is referred to as display areas V1 to V3 (shown by broken lines in the figure. These are collectively referred to as a virtual image display area IV). The eye position of an observer who observes (for example, the driver of the own vehicle) is defined as a viewpoint EY. In addition, a direction along the line of sight of an observer who observes a virtual image is a z-axis direction, and a direction perpendicular to the z-axis direction and perpendicular to each other is an x-axis direction and a y-axis direction. The x-axis direction is also referred to as the horizontal direction, the y-axis direction as the height direction, and the z-axis direction as the depth direction. The direction from the viewpoint EY in the z-axis direction toward the virtual image display area IV is also referred to as the front.

The display device 10 includes a light source 20, a screen group 30, a reflection member 40, an image data generation unit 50, and a drive unit 60.

The light source 20 is a light source that irradiates light for displaying a virtual image in the virtual image display region IV, and includes, for example, a scanning laser projector that irradiates laser light. The light source 20 has an emission part EP as an emission point of the laser light, and irradiates a predetermined irradiation area with the emission light L1 emitted from the emission part EP.

The screen group 30 includes screens S1, S2, and S3. Each of the screens S1 to S3 has a flat plate shape, and is a state variable type screen that changes the state between a transmission state in which the outgoing light L1 from the light source 20 is transmitted and a scattering state in which the outgoing light L1 is scattered. Since the outgoing light L1 is scattered in the scattering state, the screen is in the display state. On the other hand, since the outgoing light L1 is allowed to pass through without being scattered in the transmissive state, the screen is not displayed. The screens S1 to S3 are composed of, for example, a liquid crystal film in which a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules and an electrode layer for switching the state of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are laminated, a translucent plate containing microlenses, and the like.

The screens S1 to S3 are all disposed in the irradiation region of the emitted light L1, and have a projection region (not shown) that projects a virtual image upon receiving the irradiation of the emitted light L1. The screens S1 to S3 are arranged such that the distance from the emission part EP of the light source 20 to the projection area is different from each other.

The reflecting member 40 is a reflecting member that reflects the projection light L2 that is the irradiated light irradiated on the projection areas of the screens S1 to S3, and is disposed on a straight line that passes through all of the screens S1 to S3. The reflecting member 40 is composed of, for example, an image combiner having translucency with respect to visible light.

The reflection member 40 has a concave surface portion 41 arranged to face the projection areas of the screens S1 to S3. The concave surface portion 41 functions as a concave mirror for the projection light L2.

The outgoing light L1 emitted from the light source 20 is incident on the screens S1 to S3. The light incident on the screens S1 to S3 is emitted as projection light L2 from the surface opposite to the irradiation surface of the emitted light L1 in a direction perpendicular to the opposite surface of each screen. Then, the projection light L2 travels toward the reflecting member 40.

When the observer observes the reflecting member 40 from the viewpoint EY, the observer can visually recognize the virtual image in the virtual image display area IV located on the back side (forward in the z-axis direction) of the reflecting member 40. Specifically, the observer reflects the virtual images displayed in the display areas V1, V2, and V3 having different distances in the depth direction according to the distances between the screens S1, S2, and S3 and the reflecting member 40, respectively. It will be visually recognized through the member 40.

The image data generation unit 50 generates image data VD to be projected on the screens S1 to S3 in order to display a virtual image in the virtual image display area IV. The image data generation unit 50 generates image data VD based on the peripheral information indicating the surrounding information of the vehicle and the map information, and supplies the image data VD to the drive unit 60 and the control unit 70.

The drive unit 60 is a drive unit that drives the light source 20 and the screen group 30. The drive unit 60 generates a light source drive signal DS1 for driving the light source 20 based on the image data VD generated by the image data generation unit 50, and supplies the light source drive signal DS1 to the light source 20. The light source 20 generates emission light L1 corresponding to the image data VD according to the light source drive signal DS1, and irradiates the irradiation area.

The driving unit 60 generates a screen driving signal DS2 according to control by the control unit 70 and supplies the screen driving signal DS2 to the screen group 30. Each of the screens S1 to S3 of the screen group 30 is switched between a transmission state and a scattering state by the screen drive signal DS2.

The control unit 70 determines the display position of the virtual image based on the image data VD, and controls the driving of the screens S1 to S3 by the driving unit 60 so that the virtual image is displayed at the determined display position. The control unit 70 generates a control signal CS for controlling the driving of the screens S 1 to S 3 by the driving unit 60 and supplies the control signal CS to the driving unit 60.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 70. The control unit 70 includes a host vehicle position detection unit 11, a front detection unit 12, a relative position calculation unit 13, a virtual image position setting unit 14, and a storage unit 15.

The own vehicle position acquisition unit 11 is composed of, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) device, receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites, and calculates a distance from each GPS satellite based on the received radio waves. Get the location information of the vehicle.

The front detection unit 12 detects an object existing within a predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle and its position. The front detection unit 12 is constituted by a radar device such as a pulse radar, for example, emits radio waves in front of the host vehicle, detects an object, and measures the distance and direction to the object. In addition, the front detection part 12 is not limited to when comprised from a radar. For example, the front detection unit 12 may include a camera that captures the front of the host vehicle, and may detect the presence and position of an object based on image recognition.

The relative position calculation unit 13 performs virtual image display based on the position information of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle position acquisition unit 11, the map information including the surrounding area of the vehicle, and the information of the object detected by the front detection unit 12. The relative position between the guidance object that is the guidance object or the object of alerting by virtual image display (hereinafter simply referred to as the object) and the own vehicle is calculated. In addition, the relative position calculation unit 13 calculates the relative position between the subject vehicle and the other object (for example, the forward vehicle) existing in front of the subject vehicle as well as the virtual image display target. That is, the relative position calculation unit 13 acquires the relative position of the object in the front landscape with the own vehicle.

The virtual image position setting unit 14 sets the display position of the virtual image based on the image content indicated by the image data VD and the relative position between the vehicle and the object. The virtual image position setting unit 14 sets which of the display areas V1 to V3 is the virtual image display position as the display position in the z-axis direction (that is, the depth direction). Further, the virtual image position setting unit 14 sets display positions of virtual images in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction that are plane directions in each display region.

As a general rule, the virtual image position setting unit 14 sets a position close to the guidance object or the alerting object as the display position of the virtual image. However, another object (an obstacle such as a forward vehicle) is detected at a position that overlaps with the display position (that is, the virtual image display position set as a position close to the guidance object or the alerting object). In this case, the virtual image position setting unit 14 sets a position in front of the other object as a virtual image display position.

The storage unit 15 is an information holding unit that appropriately stores data necessary for the processing of the control unit 70 and data generated in the processing. The storage unit 15 includes a storage device such as a hard disk, flash memory, SSD (Solid State Drive), and RAM (Random Access Memory).

The display device 10 according to the present embodiment is (1) both when a new virtual image is displayed and (2) when the situation ahead of the host vehicle is changed while the virtual image is already displayed. The virtual image display position is set or reset based on the position of an object (such as a forward vehicle) positioned in front of the vehicle. Hereinafter, in each case of (1) and (2), the processing operation of the virtual image position setting process executed by the display device 10 of the present embodiment will be described.

First, the processing operation of the virtual image position setting process in the case of (1) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, a description will be given by taking as an example a case of displaying a virtual image of content that guides a place such as an arrow indicating a right or left turn at an intersection or a store.

The own vehicle position acquisition unit 11 acquires position information indicating the current position of the own vehicle (step S101).

The relative position calculation unit 13 refers to the map information around the host vehicle read from the storage unit 15 (step S102), and calculates the relative position between the host vehicle and the guidance object (for example, an intersection or a store) (step S103). ).

The virtual image position setting unit 14 calculates the display position of the virtual image such that the guidance object and the virtual image overlap in the landscape based on the relative position calculated by the relative position calculation unit 13 (step S104).

The front detection unit 12 detects an obstacle (for example, a front vehicle) within a predetermined distance range in front of the host vehicle (step S105).

The relative position calculation unit 13 determines whether there is an obstacle such as a forward vehicle in the range (step S106). If it determines with there being no obstruction (step S106: No), it will progress to step S109.

If it is determined that there is an obstacle (step S106: Yes), the relative position calculation unit 13 calculates the relative position between the detected obstacle and the host vehicle (step S107).

The virtual image position setting unit 14 determines whether the detected obstacle overlaps the virtual image display position calculated in step S104 and is positioned in front of the virtual image display position (step S108).

If it is determined that there is no obstacle at a position that overlaps the display position of the virtual image and is in front of the display position (step S108: No), the virtual image position setting unit 14 uses the display position calculated in step S104 as the display position of the virtual image. Determine (step S109).

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is an obstacle at a position that overlaps the display position of the virtual image and is in front of the display position (step S108: Yes), the virtual image position setting unit 14 sets the display position of the virtual image calculated in step S104 as the obstacle. The position is changed to a position before the object, and the changed position is determined as a virtual image display position (step S110).

Through the above processing, the display device 10 of the present embodiment sets the display position of the virtual image at a position in front of the obstacle such as the vehicle ahead and displays the virtual image.

Next, the processing operation of the virtual image position setting process in the case of (2) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, it is assumed that an arrow such as a right or left turn at an intersection or a virtual image of contents for guiding a place such as a store is displayed.

The own vehicle position acquisition unit 11 acquires position information indicating the current position of the own vehicle (step S201).

The front detection unit 12 detects an obstacle (for example, a front vehicle) within a predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle (step S202).

The relative position calculation unit 13 determines whether there is an obstacle such as a forward vehicle in the range (step S203). If it determines with there being no obstruction (step S203: No), it will progress to step S206.

If it is determined that there is an obstacle (step S203: Yes), the relative position calculation unit 13 calculates the relative position between the detected obstacle and the host vehicle (step S204).

The virtual image position setting unit 14 determines whether or not the detected obstacle overlaps with the display position of the currently displayed virtual image and is positioned in front of the display position of the virtual image (step S205).

If it is determined that there is no obstacle at a position that overlaps the display position of the virtual image and is in front of the display position (step S205: No), the display device 10 continues to display the virtual image at the currently displayed position (step S205). S206).

On the other hand, if the display device 10 determines that there is an obstacle that overlaps the display position of the virtual image and is in front of the display position (step S205: Yes), the display device 10 stops displaying the virtual image at the currently displayed position. (Step S207). The virtual image position setting unit 14 resets (changes) the display position of the virtual image so that the virtual image position setting unit 14 is positioned in front of the obstacle detected in step S202. The display device 10 displays a virtual image at the reset display position (step S208).

Through the above processing, the display device 10 of the present embodiment changes the display position of the virtual image in the depth direction so that the display position of the virtual image is in front of the obstacle such as the forward vehicle. For example, the display position is changed by switching a screen on which a virtual image is projected between S1, S2, and S3.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show examples of virtual image display when the vehicle ahead is present as an obstacle at a position that overlaps with the virtual image display position before and after the change of the virtual image display position (FIG. 4). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a comparison with FIG.

4 (a) and 5 (a) schematically show the positions of the host vehicle and the forward vehicle as viewed from above in the y-axis direction (that is, the height direction), and the display position of the virtual image. 4B and 5B show the display positions of the forward vehicle and the virtual image viewed from the z-axis direction (that is, the depth direction) that is the direction viewed from an observer such as a driver of the own vehicle. .

Here, an example is shown in which the position where the distance from the front of the host vehicle is 7 m is the display area V1, the position of 4m is the display area V2, and the position of 2m is the display area V3. Is shown as FV. In addition, the vehicle is approaching the intersection, a virtual image indicating the presence and position of a pedestrian is displayed in the display area V1, and a virtual image indicating the position of the gas station is displayed in the display area V3.

For example, when the vehicle is scheduled to turn left at an intersection, the display device 10 displays an arrow for guiding the left turn as a virtual image. At that time, the virtual image position setting unit 14 calculates a position close to the intersection that is the object of the left turn as the display position of the virtual image. Accordingly, the display area V1 (7 m position) is selected as the display position of the virtual image.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the distance between the host vehicle OV and the rearmost part of the front vehicle FV is 4 m or more and less than 7 m, the display position of the virtual image overlaps the vehicle body position of the front vehicle FV. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, when viewed from the observer (for example, the driver of the own vehicle OV), the virtual image is displayed in a state where the virtual image is embedded in the vehicle body of the front vehicle FV.

When the display position of the virtual image in the depth direction is changed, as shown in FIG. 5A, the display region V2 (position of 4 m) positioned before the rearmost part of the forward vehicle FV is selected as the display position of the virtual image. Is done. As a result, the virtual image is not displayed at a position where it is recessed into the vehicle body of the preceding vehicle, but is displayed at a position in front of it that does not overlap the vehicle body of the preceding vehicle, as shown in FIG.

As described above, when the display device 10 according to the present embodiment detects an object that overlaps the displayed virtual image in the landscape and is positioned in front of the virtual image, the display device 10 displays the virtual image at the currently displayed position. It stops and displays a virtual image at a position in front of the object. In addition, when the display device 10 of the present embodiment detects an object that overlaps the display position of the virtual image set according to the display content of the virtual image in the landscape and is positioned in front of the display position, The position in front of is reset as the virtual image display position. And the display apparatus 10 performs these processes for every guidance target object or target object (for example, a store or an intersection). Therefore, for example, when the guidance object or the alert object changes with the movement of the host vehicle, these processes are repeated.

As a result, the virtual image is displayed in front of the obstacle such as the vehicle ahead, so that the observer (for example, the driver of the own vehicle) can visually recognize the virtual image without feeling discomfort due to the virtual image and the obstacle appearing to overlap each other. can do. Therefore, according to the display device 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to display a virtual image without a sense of incongruity even when an obstacle exists in the landscape.

The display device of Example 2 will be described. The display device of the present embodiment has the same device configuration as that of the display device 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. That is, the display device 10 according to the present embodiment includes the light source 20, the screen group 30, the reflection member 40, the image data generation unit 50, the drive unit 60, and the control unit 70.

Further, the control unit 70 of the display device 10 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the control unit 70 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. That is, the control unit 70 of the present embodiment includes a host vehicle position detection unit 11, a front detection unit 12, a relative position calculation unit 13, a virtual image position setting unit 14, and a storage unit 15.

In the present embodiment, it is preferable that the front detector 12 is composed of a measuring device capable of measuring a three-dimensional distance with high accuracy. For example, the front detection unit 12 of the present embodiment is configured by a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device that measures the distance to the object by irradiating the object with laser light.

In the display device 10 of the present embodiment, when the display position of the virtual image overlaps with the position of an obstacle such as a forward vehicle, and the display position of a part of the virtual image is at the back side of the surface of the obstacle, the virtual image The display mode of a part of is changed. Specifically, instead of the virtual image position setting unit 14 changing the display position of the entire virtual image as in the first embodiment, the image data generation unit 50 is positioned behind the obstacle in the virtual image overlapping the obstacle. New image data VD for changing the display mode of the portion to be generated is generated. For example, the image data generation unit 50 displays a display mode in which the display mode of the part displayed on the back side of the obstacle is less conspicuous than the display mode (referred to as a standard mode) of the part displayed in front of the obstacle. The virtual image data VD is generated so as to obtain a non-standard mode.

An inconspicuous display mode (non-standard mode) is, for example, a display mode with lower brightness than the standard mode, or a display mode in which the area of the image (the area to be drawn) is reduced by displaying only the outline of the virtual image with a broken line or the like It is. By making such a change to the display mode, the observer (for example, the driver of the own vehicle OV) seems to partially overlap the virtual image with the obstacle (that is, a part of the virtual image). The incongruity caused by the fact that the object appears to be embedded in the obstacle is alleviated.

Next, the processing operation of the virtual image display process executed by the display device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6 by taking as an example the case of newly displaying a virtual image.

The relative position calculation unit 13 determines whether there is an obstacle such as a forward vehicle in the range (step S106). If it determines with there being no obstruction (step S106: No), it will progress to step S303.

If it is determined that there is an obstacle (step S106: Yes), the relative position calculation unit 13 calculates the distance to each part of the obstacle (step S301).

The image data generation unit 50 calculates the distance to each part of the obstacle calculated by the relative position calculation unit 13, the virtual image display position in the depth direction calculated by the virtual image position setting unit 14 in step S104, and the image being generated Based on the data VD, it is determined whether or not the surface of the obstacle is positioned in front of a part of the display position of the virtual image (step S302).

When it is determined that the surface of the obstacle is not positioned in front of a part of the display position of the virtual image (step S302: No), the virtual image position setting unit 14 displays the display position calculated in step S104 as a virtual image. Set to position. The image data generation unit 50 generates image data VD for displaying the entire virtual image in a standard manner. The drive unit 60 drives the light source 20 based on the image data VD. As a result, the virtual image is displayed in a standard manner with the position close to the guidance object as the display position of the virtual image (step S303).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the surface of the obstacle is positioned before a part of the display position of the virtual image (step S302: Yes), the virtual image position setting unit 14 uses the display position calculated in step S104 as the virtual image. Set to the display position. The image data generation unit 50 displays, in a non-standard manner, a portion of the virtual image that is located on the back side of the obstacle surface (that is, the back side of the obstacle on the side closer to the vehicle). The image data VD for displaying the part in the standard mode is generated. The drive unit 60 drives the light source 20 based on the image data VD. Thereby, the position near the guidance object is set as the virtual image display position, and the portion of the virtual image that is displayed in front of the surface of the obstacle is displayed in a standard manner, and is displayed behind the surface of the obstacle. The part is displayed in a non-standard manner (step S304).

Through the above processing, the display device 10 according to the present embodiment displays the portion of the virtual image displayed overlapping the obstacle, which is displayed on the back side of the obstacle surface, in front of the obstacle surface. Display in a display mode (non-standard mode) that is less conspicuous than the display mode of the part.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating display examples of a virtual image when a forward vehicle as an obstacle is present at a position partially overlapping with the display position of the virtual image. FIG. 7A schematically shows the positions of the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the display position of the virtual image viewed from the x-axis direction (that is, the lateral direction). FIG. 7B shows the display position of the front vehicle and the virtual image in the z-axis direction (that is, the depth direction) that is the direction seen from the observer such as the driver of the own vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when the virtual image display position is behind the rearmost part of the forward vehicle FV when viewed from the own vehicle OV, for example, the lower part of the virtual image overlaps the vehicle body of the forward vehicle FV. become. Therefore, the display device 10 according to the present embodiment displays the lower part of the virtual image in an inconspicuous manner (non-standard manner). Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7B, when viewed from an observer (for example, a driver of the own vehicle OV), only the outline of the lower portion of the virtual image is displayed with a broken line, for example.

[Modification]
As a modification of the present embodiment, instead of the display device 10 having the configuration shown in FIG. A display device having a simple structure may be used.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a display device 10A according to a modified example having such a configuration. The display device 10A is different from the display device 10 in FIG.

The screen group 30 of the display device 10A includes screens S1A, S2A, and S3A. The screens S1A, S2A, and S3A are configured as state-variable screens that change the state between a transmission state and a scattering state, like the screens S1 to S3 of the display device 10.

The screens S1A, S2A, and S3A are arranged in parallel to each other so that the normal line is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the laser light emitted from the light source 20 toward the reflecting member 40. Further, the distances from the upper ends of the screens S1A, S2A, and S3A to the reflecting member 40 are larger than the distances from the respective lower ends to the reflecting member 40.

When the screens S1A, S2A, and S3A are thus tilted with respect to the optical axis of the laser light, as shown in FIG. 8, the virtual images V1A to V3A corresponding to the respective screens have their upper ends on the back side (that is, An observer visually recognizes a virtual image located in the front in the z-axis direction, that is, a virtual image whose upper end side is inclined forward.

The display device 10A according to this modification performs a virtual image display process by the processing operation shown in the flowchart of FIG.

The image data generation unit 50 of the present modification corresponds to the vertical position of the image data VD and the virtual image display position in the depth direction for each virtual image display position in the depth direction that can be set by the virtual image position setting unit 14 in step S104. The relationship is stored in advance. Then, the image data generation unit 50 stores the distance to each part of the obstacle calculated by the relative position calculation unit 13, the virtual image display position in the depth direction calculated by the virtual image position setting unit 14, and the stored image. The determination in step S302 is performed based on the correspondence between the vertical position of the data VD and the virtual image display position in the depth direction.

According to the display device 10A of the present modification, for example, when it is determined in step S302 that the surface of the obstacle is positioned in front of a part of the display position of the virtual image, the obstacle in the virtual image is determined in step S304. A portion on the near side of the surface is displayed in a standard manner, a portion on the far side is displayed in a non-standard manner, and a virtual image with the upper end inclined forward is displayed.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating a display example of a virtual image by the display device 10 </ b> A of the present modification example when the vehicle ahead is present as an obstacle at a position that partially overlaps the display position of the virtual image. . FIG. 9A schematically shows the positions of the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the display position of the virtual image viewed from the x-axis direction (that is, the lateral direction). FIG. 9B shows the display position of the front vehicle and the virtual image in the z-axis direction (that is, the depth direction) that is the direction seen from the observer such as the driver of the own vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the virtual image is displayed with the upper end side tilted forward, and therefore when the virtual image is displayed behind the rearmost part of the forward vehicle FV when viewed from the host vehicle OV, for example, a virtual image. Is displayed in a mode (non-standard mode) in which the upper part of the screen is not conspicuous. As shown in FIG. 9B, when viewed from an observer (for example, the driver of the own vehicle OV), for example, only the outline of the upper portion of the virtual image is displayed by a broken line.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment and its modified examples, for a portion of the virtual image that is displayed behind the obstacle, for example, an inconspicuous display mode (non-standard mode) such as displaying the outline of the portion with a broken line The case where it is displayed in was explained. However, instead of this, the part may not be displayed (that is, the display of the part is stopped). That is, when the position of the obstacle overlaps with the display position of the virtual image, and there is a part displayed behind the surface of the obstacle and a part displayed in front, an observer (for example, the vehicle OV) The display mode of the virtual image of the portion displayed behind the surface of the obstacle may be different from the display mode of the virtual image of the portion displayed in front so as not to hinder the forward visual recognition by the driver). .

As described above, in the display device according to the present embodiment, the virtual image of the portion displayed behind the obstacle such as the vehicle ahead of the virtual image is displayed in an inconspicuous manner, or the virtual image of the portion is not displayed. To. Thereby, the observer (for example, the driver of the own vehicle OV) can visually recognize the virtual image without feeling uncomfortable feeling caused by the virtual image and the obstacle appearing to overlap each other. Therefore, according to the display device of the present embodiment, it is possible to perform virtual image display with reduced discomfort even when there are obstacles in the landscape.

Note that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those shown in the above examples. For example, in the above embodiment, when an obstacle such as a forward vehicle is detected at a position that is in front of the virtual image and overlaps with the position of the virtual image being displayed, the display position of the virtual image is at a position in front of the obstacle. The example which changes is demonstrated. However, when an obstacle such as a forward vehicle is detected at a position overlapping the position of the displayed virtual image, the display of the virtual image (AR display) may be simply stopped. Further, after the display position is changed, a virtual image in which the display form is changed may be displayed instead of the same virtual image as that before the change. Instead of changing the display position in the depth direction (z-axis direction), change the position of the virtual image in the plane direction (x-axis direction or y-axis direction) so that the virtual image does not overlap the obstacle. Also good.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the display device 10 has the screens S1 to S3 and displays virtual images in the display areas V1 to V3 having different distances in the depth direction has been described. However, the number of screens and display areas is not limited to this, and it is possible to have two or four or more screens and display a virtual image in two or four or more display areas. Moreover, the structure which displays a virtual image by the multi-view and the three-dimensional display by holography may be sufficient.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the display position in the depth direction of the virtual image is changed by switching the screen on which the virtual image is projected to the screens S1 to S3 has been described. However, the display position of the virtual image may be changed by moving the screen position.

The series of processes described in the above embodiments can be performed by computer processing according to a program stored in a recording medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display apparatus 11 Own vehicle position acquisition part 12 Front detection part 13 Relative position calculation part 14 Virtual image position setting part 15 Storage part 20 Light source 30 Screen group S1, S2, S3 Screen 40 Reflective member 50 Image data generation part 60 Drive part 70 Control Part 10A Display device S1A, S2A, S3A Screen

Claims

A display unit that displays a virtual image at at least one of a plurality of positions having different depths in the landscape;
An object position acquisition unit for acquiring the position of the object in the landscape;
Including
The display unit stops the display of the first virtual image when the position of the object acquired by the object position acquisition unit overlaps the currently displayed virtual image and is positioned in front of the first virtual image. A display device characterized by that.
When the detection unit detects an object that overlaps the one virtual image and is positioned in front of the one virtual image in the landscape, the display unit stops displaying the first virtual image, and The display device according to claim 1, wherein a virtual image based on the first virtual image is displayed at a position before the object.
A display control unit that sets the display position of the virtual image according to the display content of the virtual image, and displays the virtual image on the display unit at the set display position;
When the detection unit detects an object that overlaps the display position set for one virtual image in the landscape and is positioned in front of the display position, the display control unit determines the position in front of the object. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display position is reset as the display position of the first virtual image.
The display unit includes a first screen for displaying a virtual image in a first display area in the landscape, and a virtual image in a second display area positioned in front of the first display area in the landscape. A second screen for displaying
When the detection unit detects an object that overlaps the virtual image displayed in the first display region and is positioned in front of the first display region, the display unit is the first display region. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display of the virtual image is stopped and the virtual image is displayed in the second display area.
A display method executed by a display device capable of displaying a virtual image,
A display step of displaying a virtual image at at least one of a plurality of positions having different depths in the landscape;
An object position acquisition step of acquiring the position of the object in the landscape;
A stop step of stopping the display of the first virtual image when the position of the object acquired in the object position acquisition step overlaps the currently displayed virtual image and is positioned in front of the first virtual image;
The display method characterized by performing.
In a computer having a display device capable of displaying a virtual image,
A display step of displaying a virtual image at at least one of a plurality of positions having different depths in the landscape;
An object position acquisition step of acquiring the position of the object in the landscape;
A stop step of stopping the display of the first virtual image when the position of the object acquired in the object position acquisition step overlaps the currently displayed virtual image and is positioned in front of the first virtual image;
A program characterized by having executed.
A display unit that displays a virtual image at at least one of a plurality of positions having different depths in the landscape;
An object position acquisition unit for acquiring the position of the object in the landscape;
Including
The display unit has a surface of the object out of the one virtual image when the position of the object acquired by the object position acquisition unit overlaps a part of the one virtual image currently displayed in the depth direction in the landscape. The part located deeper than the surface of the object is displayed in a less conspicuous display mode than the part located in front of the surface of the object, or the display of the part located behind the surface of the object in the virtual image of the first is stopped To
A display device characterized by that.
A display method executed by a display device capable of displaying a virtual image,
A display step of displaying a virtual image at at least one of a plurality of positions having different depths in the landscape;
An object position acquisition step of acquiring the position of the object in the landscape;
When the position of the object acquired in the object position acquisition step overlaps a part of the currently displayed virtual image in the depth direction in the landscape, the virtual image is positioned behind the surface of the object in the virtual image A display changing step for displaying a portion to be displayed in a display mode that is less conspicuous than a portion positioned in front of the surface of the object, or for stopping display of a portion positioned behind the surface of the object in the virtual image of the one ,
The display method characterized by performing.
In a computer having a display device capable of displaying a virtual image,
A display step of displaying a virtual image at at least one of a plurality of positions having different depths in the landscape;
An object position acquisition step of acquiring the position of the object in the landscape;
When the position of the object acquired in the object position acquisition step overlaps a part of the currently displayed virtual image in the depth direction in the landscape, the virtual image is positioned behind the surface of the object in the virtual image A display changing step for displaying a portion to be displayed in a display mode that is less conspicuous than a portion positioned in front of the surface of the object, or for stopping display of a portion positioned behind the surface of the object in the virtual image of the one ,
A program characterized by having executed.